I partook in this meal with someone. And as much as the company was great, I wish it was a lone venture; at least then the only person who was left unsatisfied when I took my clothes off would be me. However, small victories like stumbling upon crispy fried chicken in the suburbs should be celebrated, so I'm going to push past this glut of negativity.
Fried Chicken revolution has been a long standing infatuation within the local community, Prawn paste chicken, chicken and waffles, Chicken 65, Indonesian Ayam Goreng, Korean Fried Chicken, there's a flavour profile to match every occasion. Unfortunately, my obsession with Southern Fried Chicken hadn't received much love from the general public, and over the years, we haven't been blessed with multiple vendors. My firm favourite still being The Beast for their out of this world 24-hours buttermilk fried chicken, waffles with yeasted centers and a jar of magic bourbon maple butter sauce.
Then along came Bird Bird, taking flight from its previous clamorous neighborhood to the eastern well-heeled hood of Frankel Avenue. The concept here is as straight as an arrow, fried chicken in 3 flavours (Southern Fried Chicken, Bangkok Fried Chicken and Lebanese Fried Chicken) accompanied with a bevy of evil diet assassins such as glazed donuts, softies and curly fries. Yes, you might want to leave your inhibitions at the door before getting started.
Needless to say, I embarked on my Southern Fried Chicken Pilgrimage with their half-bird option ($25, $49 for a full bird). The coating on the chicken is thin and shattery. The skin imbued with a slow burning heat from paprika and black pepper, better enhanced with swabs of hot sauce that the restaurant proudly sponsors. As for the house-made gravy, it speaks in a husky tone, glorious and sexy; you find yourself dazed and confused, perhaps resorting to using a straw to draw it in a little closer. You reach out for another piece, and another, annihilating initial plans of taking a piece home for supper. Before you know it, you're exhausted, covered in grease and wondering where all that chicken went.
There are treats here beyond the chicken, like the Cornbread Waffle with smoked maple ($3/piece) and the Sticky housemade Curly Fries ($11). The former is a hybrid of a corn fritter and yeasted waffle, the cornmeal combined with tons of sweet corn thrown into the mix creating a sandy mosh pit of flavours that work perfectly as a canvas for the smoked maple. The curly fries fill the spaces in between; doused in sriracha, kewpie mayo and maple syrup, resistance is futile. The wirey strands providing maximal surface area for the intoxicating sauce to adhere to. At this point, I'm starting to rethink my hard stand on twice cooked rustic chips. It's a bit ridiculous for me to waxing lyrical about spuds, but I was actually smitten. Don't judge.
If you out for a meal with the sole focus of chasing the chick, Bird Bird has got your name written all over it. Definitely worth a trip if you're within half an hour within its reach. Whether or not it's worth a drive from Upper Bukit Timah to its far-out realms, I wouldn't practise so much enthusiasm in extolling it's greatness levels.
Bird Bird
97 Frankel Avenue
S(458222)
t: 6694 8270
e: hello@birdbirdsg.com
Operating Hours:
Tues - Sun: 11am -11pm (last order 9.45pm)
Mon: Closed
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